Why Choose Bokashi? Evidence-Based Benefits

Why can I add meat and other foods that are hard to compost i.e. cooked food, dairy products, bread etc? to a bokashi?

You can add meat, cooked food, dairy, bread, and other hard-to-compost items to a Bokashi system because it ferments food waste rather than decomposing it traditionally. The specially selected microbes in Bokashi flakes —such as lactic acid bacteria, yeasts, and phototrophic bacteria—suppress harmful bacteria and prevent rotting, odours, and pests.

Unlike traditional composting, which relies on aerobic decomposition and struggles to break down fats, oils, and proteins efficiently, Bokashi’s anaerobic fermentation pre-digests these materials. This makes them easier for soil microbes and worms to process once buried, turning them into nutrient-rich soil without the usual composting challenges.

What is the main ingredient in the Rongo or Bokashi Starter Flakes?

Bokashi starter contains organic and fair trade coffee husks, used as a dry medium for the Effective Microorganims or EM-1. Primarily this EM-1 contains lactic acid bacteria (LAB), yeast, and purple non-sulfur bacteria (PNSB). These microbes consume the sugars in food waste, multiplying and triggering fermentation. Some microorganisms also feed on the byproducts of others within the system. The resulting bokashi pre-compost is rich in beneficial microbes that help suppress and outcompete harmful pathogens and disease-causing organisms in the soil.

If the process is anaerobic - isn’t that bad for the environment?

Bokashi is an anaerobic lactic-yeast fermentation process (NOT methane fermentation). The bacteria in the starter flakes convert the sugars in the food scraps to alcohol, acids, and/or other chemicals that preserve the food and make it relatively shelf-stable for a long period of time in the absence of oxygen. 

Why doesn’t the food waste look the same and not breakdown in the bucket?

The fermentation process preserves the appearance of the food scraps, similar to how cucumbers still look like cucumbers after pickling. While the outward look remains unchanged, the microbes are actively breaking down the food at a molecular level, altering its chemical and physical structure. This pre-digestion process makes the scraps easier for soil microbes and worms to break down once buried, speeding up decomposition in the soil.